By wanting to warn about the dangers of revenge porn, the National Police have completely gone astray. Instead of warning those who shared the naked photos that they were receiving the penalties they would incur, it was the victims that she blamed.
Informing the perpetrators of revenge porn of the penalties incurred is yes, making the victims feel guilty is no. This Saturday, March 6, the National Police caused controversy by publishing a tweet urging not the recipients not to share the nudes they received, but the authors not to send them. "Sexting: sending a nude is agreeing to take the risk of seeing this shared photo", could we read, next to an image on which it was inscribed: "He received your nude. Your friends, your parents, your classmates, your cousins, your teachers, your neighbors, your baker, your ex-boyfriend, your postman, your grandparents, your niece too."
Should we really remember that, no, sending a naked photo is not "accept" the fact that we see his shared intimate photos? Unfortunately, it would appear to be. And many Internet users reported it to the National Police, denouncing, like activist Caroline De Haas, that "the guilt of the victims is no" and that this message was victim blaming. "Do not confuse victim and culprit. Sending a nude is not an offense. Publishing an image without the person's consent is. It is on this point that education and communication would be very useful", added MEP Aurore Lalucq.
Some tweeters have corrected the warning from the National Police, warning, as it should be, those who share the famous nudes. "She sent you a nude. You keep the photo for yourself, and you do not share it under any circumstances without her consent, otherwise you risk a 2-year prison sentence and a 60,000 euro fine under of article 226-2 of the penal code. The distribution of private photos without consent is a crime! ", thus wrote on the same poster an Internet user. It seems that the message went well, since the tweet was deleted and the police recognized "an awkwardness" : "We never carry the idea that the victims could be responsible for the situation they undergo". Too bad it took many tweet for her to realize the problem …
To read also: "Revenge porn": this teenager explains why the victim is never guilty thanks to a sandwich
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